w/ Stephanie Stevens

The Huntington Beach, California based band THEM EVILS has been making a lot of noise with their back to basic gritty, naughty rock n roll! ROLLIN' STONED AND LIVIN' FREE - the newest EP from the band has Jordan Griffin (guitar n' vocals) Jake Massanari (bass) and David Delaney ll (drums) making big noise for only being a three piece; making “use” of their instruments and actually making real guitar-driven, straight-up Rock N' Roll a focal point in this day and age is a refreshing and motivating thing. THEM EVILS bring the raw, Rock n' Roll energy back to the scene and it shows; Inspired by parts AC/DC, Led Zepplin, Queens of The Stone Age and a big heaping pile of originality these guys have the flair, sex appeal and modern day rhythm and sass to make heads turn, ears perk up and booty’s shaking all night long.

The boys have released the newest single GOT ME ROCKIN' where they swoon you with guitar, melody driven ambience and lots of attitude - this single definitely made me take notice and got me “Rockin” for sure. ROLLIN' STONED AND LIVIN' FREE is a very smooth sailing, no-track-skipping disc that shines light on old school rock, guitar rock and gritty soul driven soundscapes. The world is starting to love and adore these guys. I was able to chat with Jordan while he was out on the band's headlining tour for spring and he was able to let me know a little more about THEM EVILS, working in the studio and what makes them survive on the road

You guys have that old school rock n’ roll, gritty vibe that has been missing in the music scene for a bit. When you all came together was that a major goal - to bring back that sound to the scene or did it naturally happen when you started writing?

- We definitely had that goal in mind. Bringing sleaze and grease back into Rock N’ Roll. Not many people are doing it nowadays; I feel our music is refreshing to our fans and music listeners.

Individually who are you guys influenced by and what did you grow up listening to?

- I, Jordan, grew up listening to metal bands like Sabbath, Metallica, and Pantera. Those bands gave me an understanding of music but the two most influential bands for myself are AC/DC and Alice In Chains. As far as David goes, he's heavily influenced by Queens of The Stone Age, and Jake, the Arctic Monkeys.

For people new to THEM EVILS you guys (well two of you) started in Vegas but eventually moved to California. How did that change help in getting the band’s name out? And how did you find your drummer as the last piece to fit the puzzle?

- The main goal was to be as close to LA as possible because it’s the mecca of the entertainment business. I vividly remember our first LA show, which was at the Viper Room. We were hungry and eager to get ourselves out there. It was actually my first show as a front man and I was shaking in my boots, pacing throughout the venue. Granted, there was only 15 people in the bar but it was a big step in the evolution of our band. David was introduced to me through a coworker. I told her the cliché’ Rock N’ Roll "we moved here to make it" story, so she made the introduction. David and I met up at a rehearsal spot and jammed Metallica and Alice In Chains tunes. It was the perfect fit!

It says in your bio you guys kind of made your own scene. Was that prior to moving to California, or did it develop once you arrived? How do you feel in your own opinion your band and music has helped make the music scene fresh again?

- We made our "own scene" in the sense of traveling outside of Orange County and Las Vegas. Why be in a band if you're going to just play local shows? We branched out and tried to connect with other local scenes throughout California as well. A lot of our friends in local bands saw that and followed the example. I don't think we helped make it fresh again. The scene was always there in Orange County - we just came in and shoved it down people’s throats.

Zakk Wylde has been a pretty big name and support system for you guys. How did he hear about the band and do you see songwriting in the future with him?

- Blasko, bassist for Ozzy and Zakk Sabbath, watched our set side-stage at Louder Than Life in 2016. We stayed in contact and maintained a friendship. Then @ Rock on The Range in 2017 we met up and he mentioned the Zakk Sabbath tour needed an opening act. Two weeks later we got the offer.

Your ROLLIN’ STONED AND LIVIN’ FREE EP was just released - Were these songs brand new to the band or did you take some tracks from older studio days or demos?

- Three of the tracks are newly written songs (Got Me Rocking', Practice What You Preach, and Gets Me High). We put some older songs on this because we went into this process thinking this was our "break-through" EP. So those well written songs needed to be heard – we just updated them a bit.

How is the atmosphere and vibe in the studio when you guys are recording? Are you all very hands on in this kind of atmosphere and what do you feel off this new EP was the easiest and hardest song to track?

- It’s a blast! The studio is all about good vibes and creativeness. It's also a collective process so we need to be very hands-on. This music is going to be around long after we're gone so we're very involved. Easiest was definitely 'She Got Nothin" because it was the oldest song I wrote on the album. The hardest was definitely 'Practice What You Preach'. The vocals on the chorus and the verse harmonies were a dynamic we've never touched on. It was a completely new concept for our band.How was working with Kato and what was it that made you guys pick him to produce and record with? Do you have a Favorite artist he has worked with other than yourselves?

- It was a blessing to work with someone of his status. He's a legend and extremely knowledgeable when it comes to writing and recording. He actually picked us. Our manager, Shannon, and Kato showed up to one of our Viper Room shows and pretty much said "let’s get this Rollin". I would say The Pretty Reckless is my favorite band he's produced.GOT ME ROCKIN’ is making some waves for you guys. How important do you feel videos and radio play are for your band in this day and age?

-The more content you have as a band and the more platforms that share the content is everything. Radio play and videos are great ways for listeners to engage with our band – the more, the better.

Loudwire exclusively premiered the video for GOT ME ROCKIN’. What was the highlight of doing the video and do you guys like doing themed videos or just straight up live performance ones?

-The whole process was exciting. It was the first time our band made a scripted or themed video. Acting was something we've never done and it was a bit nerve racking. We got through it. I enjoyed making that video the most.

You have toured with some pretty stellar bands like Pretty Reckless and Alter Bridge but now you are doing a headlining tour for the spring. How different is it going from opening to a headline run? And have you guys thrown in some oldies or covers in your set since you have more time?

It’s the same. Work hard and get your job done. Shake hands and sell merchandise. Make every connection you can and talk to all your fans. This tour we've thrown in 'Dirty Deeds' by AC/DC for a crowd pleaser!

In three words describe yourselves onstage:-Rock And Roll.

Do you guys have any rituals you perform before you go on stage to prepare yourselves?-Have a beer or two, play some guitar scales, vocal warmups, and a small pow-wow before the set.

Three things in your RV or bus that is essential to everyday life?-Wet Wipes, beer, and water.

Staying healthy on the road…..three things you guys try to do every day to either stay in shape or not get sick?- Gym membership, for me it’s drinking juices and making smoothies, and vitamin C packets.

Favorite go to stage clothes?- Black Jeans and a denim jacket.

If you could describe your fans in a few words how would you and any amazing road stories about any fans that stood out?

- Amazing and supportive. We got a fan, Mike, who travels every time to see us. He pledged on our campaign page and stays in contact with us. He's a great dude!

What does the rest of 2018 look like for THEM EVILS and do you have any idea on a second single yet?

-We're going to keep touring and captivating audiences. Definitely work on some new material. As far as new music being released, no. We're going to tour this EP for some time yet before we record new material. This single is still new, 2nd single is still a ways off.